The present invention relates to telecommunication networks, and in particular, to the problem of setting up (provisioning) remote access points for use in telecommunication networks.
Remote networking allows the extension of a networking environment, such as a corporate networking environment, to remote locations. In operation, a remote access point at a remote location establishes a connection with its home (corporate) controller over the switched internet. In most cases this connection is an encrypted tunnel. The remote access point, connected to the home controller, extends the services available in the corporate environment through wireless and/or wired connections with the remote access point. This allows corporate users full access to systems and services in remote locations, such as remote offices or homes. It also allows corporate information technology groups to provide such access in a controlled and secure manner.
An issue with remote access points, and in particular to deploying remote access points to a large number of users and/or locations is the time and labor required. Each remote access point must be properly set up, or provisioned. Typically this requires an information technology specialist in the organization to take a remote access point out of its packaging, install required configuration information such as the IP address of the corporate controller the remote access point is to contact, device credentials, and any updates necessary. Then the remote access point is repackaged and sent to the particular user or location for installation and use. Of course the remote access point must be tracked through all these steps.
While such provisioning may be acceptable for a small number of units, such a process does not scale, becoming burdensome when more than a few units are involved.
What is needed is a better way to provision remote access points.